CECI N’EST PAS PARIS – Alden Marin

CECI N’EST PAS PARIS

At twilight, we saw Paris

at Rose and Lincoln

in his red Mustang, turning left–

across from the Tasty Goody

but he wasn’t savoring

their famous Yang Chow rice

or garlic chicken just yet;

artfully puffing a cigarette

looking to the western sky–

preoccupied with the appearance

of Venus and Mars, their nearness

undoubtedly–with his window down

and one arm out–he also sees

the last lavender from the setting sun at seven

and considers purple & magenta

perfect colors for his next work

about cherubic, smiling children…

or a surrealist trompe l’oeil

at the elegant restaurant

that trusts him with its walls–

the look he imparts of time and life—

of croissants, eggs and the

Magritte pipe—“Ceci n’est pas Paris…”

at Rose and Lincoln–

but yes, it is–

before he disappears, like Houdini might

into Venice–with his enigmatic smile;

a world of paint—

and compelling images on his mind….

Alden Marin ‘Counting’, pen on paper 6″x6″, 2011